The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 22, Recap, Pt. 2

21 St. Helens Avenue

My upcoming novel Chapel Street was inspired by my experiences growing up in a "haunted" house at 21 St. Helens Avenue* in the Northeast Baltimore neighborhood of Lauraville. This series of blogs provides an oral history of the actual haunting that inspired the book. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented me from continuing my research. I prefer to interview people in person as opposed to online. Additionally, I need third party information and I don't want to pursue that until we return to something closer to normalcy. However, during the break, I have worked on the timeline of events based on the interviews I have already conducted. These recaps are the fruit of that effort.

The previous blog dealt with the history of the house from 1915 through the Ouija board incident early in 1986 and the immediate escalation of the paranormal activity afterwards. While this was happening my sister Jeanne was visiting England and secretly marrying her husband Jon, whom she had met on her previous trip. That is where we will pick up the story.

I recommend reading the first part of the recap before continuing: 

The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 21, Recap, Pt. 1

THE TIMELINE, PART 2

Winter 1986  - The inhabitants of the house at this time are my father Douglas Ernest Murphy, Sr., my mother Clara, my brother Mark, my sister Jeanne, my brother John and myself.

10 February 1986 - My sister Jeanne marries Jon in Cornwall, England. The wedding is kept secret from the family in America since my mother -- knowing of Jeanne's relationship -- had specifically asked her not to get married in England. Her daughter Laura had gotten married in City Hall. She wanted to give one of her daughters a real wedding.

Jeanne with her husband Jon and her in-laws

February 1986 - Jeanne returns to 21 St. Helens Avenue with her husband Jon. Since she married in secret, hoping to have a second wedding in America, my mother would not let them share a room in the house. Jeanne returned to the master bedroom. Jon was assigned the now very active Hell Room.

Bedrooms:
Doug and Clara. Front West Bedroom
John. Front East Bedroom
Jeanne. Master Bedroom
Jon. Hell Room
Sean. Rear Attic

To see photos of the bedrooms, and a summary of the paranormal activity exhibited in them, click on the following link: The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 15, Come Inside!

Of course, young love could not be denied. Jeanne would sneak up to visit her husband at night. She had been away since the Ouija board incident and hadn't experienced the ramping up of the paranormal activity. This is what she soon experienced in the Hell Room.

That's how the Hell Room first earned its moniker. Needless to say, Jeanne and Jon did not return to the room. The secret marriage was revealed and Jon joined Jeanne in the master bedroom, which was the second most active room in the house.

At this time, we had our first family meeting to discuss the haunting. The initial participants were Jeanne, Jon, my mother Clara and myself. I invited my father Douglas to the initial meeting. A skeptic, he just looked at me like I was crazy. Neither my sister Laura or her husband Frank were present at the first meeting, but she was there for some subsequent discussions. I remember her listening, but adding little. I don't think my older brother Dougie was ever invited. My brother Mark did not participate either, but I remember asking him at the time if he experienced anything paranormal while staying the Hell Room. "No," he answered, "But I was so high the whole time I lived in that room, I wouldn't know if I did." (He did tell other friends about hearing voices in that room.)

The Murphy Family, Christmas 1985 at 3204 Evergreen Avenue

We pointedly did not invite my youngest brother John to the meeting. We felt he was too young. We also never discussed the haunting with the nieces. They are only hearing the real details now. That isn't to say that the girls didn't realize that there was something odd at the house from earliest childhood.  Here's Natalie discussing her earliest memories:

These family talks were a great relief to us. Up until this point, there were few if any incidents that involved more than one person. As if to deliberately keep us isolated, the entity would only toy with one person at a time per evening. Therefore, we all tended to think we were crazy. Now we knew we weren't crazy. We were up against something.

March 1986 - Jeanne and Jon leave the house.  They live at two rentals before they eventually buy their own house. After they left, the family meetings about the haunting came to halt. Fearing that the talk empowered the entity, the haunting was never discussed again in a systematic manner until I began writing these blogs.

Another reason we stopped talking about the entity was that we feared it could follow you if you talked about it.  My mother frequently went to Taylor's Island on Maryland's Eastern Shore on weekends. She says it followed her there. Here she relates a harrowing suicide event she experienced on Chesapeake Bay Bridge:

When Jeanne and Jon left, Clara moved to the master bedroom.

Bedrooms:
Doug. Front West Bedroom
John. Front East Bedroom
Clara. Master Bedroom
Empty. Hell Room
Sean. Rear Attic

September 1986 - Jeanne's daughter Marion is born.  Meanwhile, at 21 St. Helens Avenue, the entity was appearing more frequently to John.

Circa Early 1987 - For some reason that eludes me, my mother moved up into the Hell Room. Her stay was very brief. The clip below details some of her experiences in the room.

As you probably noticed, the entity in the Hell Room also appeared to Jeanne in the form of a cat-like creature. The entity on the second floor never manifested itself in that manner. After this incident, my mother never used the Hell Room as a bedroom again herself -- although it was sometimes used as a guest room. Very hospitable of us, eh? One of the people who stayed there briefly was a former girlfriend of my brother Mark. I do not know if she had any experiences there. (I hope to find out.)

The room was generally used only during the day. First, it was a computer room when we got our first Commodore 64. Later, my mother would use it as a sewing room.

14 January 1987 - Jane Savin Mayfort, the widow of former resident Martin Livingston Mayfort, "suddenly" dies at the age of eighty. Thus Mayfort family line associated with 21 St. Helens Avenue becomes extinct.

December 1988 - Jeanne's daughter Emily is born.

Circa 1989 - Through prayer, I was able to cast the entity out of my bedroom entirely. I asked God why I wasn't able to cast the entity entirely out of the house. He responded: "It's not yours to cast out."

Fortunately, I was able to avoid inviting the entity back into the room. My mother had many priests friends, but none of them would come over to exorcise the house. She was given advice, but essentially left to her own devices.

This was an example of the entity using mimicked voices. Interestingly, the voice it used most frequently was my mother's!

Early 1990s - Being the person who spent the most time around the house, my brother John found himself the focus of the entity's attention during this period. Below is an interesting incident my brother John experienced involving the furniture in his room.

During this period, before the death of her mother Laura, my niece Natalie first came face-to-face with the entity in the Hell Room.

Before 1994 - Brother Mark returns to 21 St. Helens Avenue. Instead of returning to his previous bedroom, The Hell Room, he built an apartment in the basement which was financed by our great uncle Butch Rosenberger.** Mark was skilled in the building trades and did an excellent job.  Now the house had a "mother-in-law" apartment with a separate entrance. A six bedroom house! Who wouldn't want to live there?

Mark in his basement apartment

Bedrooms:

Doug. Front West Bedroom
John. Front East Bedroom
Clara. Master Bedroom
Empty. Hell Room
Sean. Rear Attic
Mark. Basement

February 1994 - A few days before her death, my sister Laura went to Frederick, Maryland, to talk to a fortune teller named Betty, who was renown for her predictive ability, that my mother frequented. Laura was accompanied by her aunt Debra Land Murphy, who recently died before I had the chance to interview her for this blog. I have learned what Betty told my sister, who under a great deal of stress at the time. My sister asked her, "What do you see in my future?" Betty replied: "I see nothing."

15 February 1994 - Laurie shoots herself in the basement of her home on 3020 Roselawn Avenue with a German Lugar her uncle Anthony Rosenberger**** brought home from World War II as a souvenir.  Her home was located about a mile and a half from 21 St. Helens Avenue. (I plan to deal with the death of Laura, and my brother Mark, in much greater detail later during this series of blogs.)

Obituary printed in The Sun (Baltimore) February 18, 1994:

LAURA L. VALENTI HELPED RESTORE HOME

     Laura L. Valenti, a meticulous gardener who was helping her husband restore an old house in Hamilton and was known for taking in unwanted dogs and cats, died Monday at Johns Hopkins Hospital of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was 31.
     The former Laura L. Murphy, a lifelong Hamilton resident who attended St. Dominic School and graduated in 1980 from Mergenthaler Vocational and Senior High School, had been despondent after a recent automobile accident, her family said.
      Mrs. Valenti was employed at All-Star Video on Belair Road from 1990 to 1993. Earlier, she was a cosmetologist and beautician. "She loved to bake and decorate cakes for birthdays and anniversaries," said her mother, Clara M. Murphy, "I love bingo and on my 50th birthday, she made a cake with two bingo cards that said 'You are a winner.'"
      A Mass of Christian burial was to be offered at 9:30am today at St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church, Harford and Gibbons Avenue. 
     Other survivors include her husband, Frank N. Valenti, whom she married in 1982; a daughter, Natalie Valenti; four brothers, Douglas E. Murphy, Jr., Sean P. Murphy, Mark B. Murphy and John C. Murphy; a sister, Jeanne Coe; her father Douglas E. Murphy, Sr.; two grandmothers, Margaret Murphy and Rita Pollock. All are of Hamilton. The family suggested memorial donations to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 3300 Falls Road 21211.

My sister Jeanne went to see Betty after the death of her sister Laura. Before she even had a chance to identify herself, Betty said, "I didn't kill your sister." Hmmm.

Laura's husband Frank and her daughter Natalie were in the house at the time of Laura's death. Natalie, a sixth grade student, spent a number of months living with her maternal grandmother Delores in the immediate aftermath.

The entity didn't give us any time off for mourning. (In the following clip, my mother misidentifies Debbie, Senior, as Debbie, Junior.***

Prior to Laurie's death, arrangements had been made to host a German exchange student at 21 St. Helens Avenue. My mother Clara felt it was too late to cancel the visit. The high school student stayed in the Front East Bedroom with John. When asked, after his first night in the room, how he slept, the German student said something kept pushing his head down in bed.

Mark at the beginning of the renovation.

1995 - Thinking that Frank and Natalie would need a place to stay, Clara began a major renovation of 21 St. Helens Avenue. She extended the back of the house on the first floor, increasing the size of the previously tiny kitchen, also creating a bedroom and turning the half bath into a full bathroom. She hired some maternal cousins, the Bastas, with a home improvement company to do the work. They got a small taste of the entity while working on the house.

I will have to reach out to my cousins and see if they have any direct memories of the house....

As John entered his teenage years, our house was a meeting place for his friends. The entity wasn't shy about making itself known to them as well.

Here's John's friend Joe talking about his first paranormal experience.

 

This is chandelier Joe saw moving. He was not the only person who saw it moving in an inexplicable manner.

Here's John's friend Lisa talking about her first paranormal experience.

25 September 1995 - Frank sells the house at 3020 Roselawn Avenue where Laura died.  By now Frank is engaged to his current wife Gail. Prior to their wedding, Frank and Natalie lived at 21 St. Helens Avenue. Frank stayed in the Hell Room. Natalie stayed in the master bedroom with Clara. I hope to interview Frank about his experiences when the COVID lockdown is finally over.

Bedrooms:
Doug. Front West Bedroom
John. Front East Bedroom
Clara and Natalie. Master Bedroom
Frank. Hell Room
Sean. Back Attic
Mark. Basement apartment

Gail, Frank and Natalie

18 May 1996 - Frank marries Gail. Frank and Natalie leave the house. There would be periodic friction between Natalie and her stepmother. She would frequently return to 21 St. Helens Avenue, staying in the master bedroom with her grandmother.  The entity made itself known to her in that room as well.

Jeanne's children were frequent visitors to the house. Her oldest daughter Marion became aware of the entity from her earliest youth. Her first experiences were indirect.

Summer 1996 - Mark would periodically move in and out of the house. John left the house and moved to Fells Point that summer.

The entity wasn't shy around non-family members. John's friend Joe heard it use a mimicked voice during this period.

 

We'll leave the tale for now. The story continues in the next recap:

The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 23, Recap, Pt. 3

The house in the 1990s, after a snowstorm

Notes:

*21 St. Helens Avenue was the original address of the house when it was built. The street name and number changed over time, but I use the original address to protect the privacy of the current owners.

**John Norbert "Butch" Rosenberger, b. 23 January 1917 - d. 18 May 2005. His sister, my grandmother Rita, was his primary caregiver late in life. When my grandmother would go on vacation, Uncle Butch would sometimes stay at 21 St. Helens Avenue.

 ***Debra Susan Land Murphy, b. 11 July 1953 - d. 9 January 2020. Aunt Debra was the wife of my uncle Brian Robertson Murphy. She was often referred to as Debbie, Senior, to differentiate her from my wife, who is often referred to as Debbie, Junior.

****Anthony Ignatius "Buzzy" Rosenberger, 1 February 1924 - 10 March 1988. He served in the 79th Infantry Division, Cross of Lorraine, during World War II.

Additional blogs about the haunting:

The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 1, An Introduction
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 2, The House
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 3, This Is Us
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 4, Arrival
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 5, Methodology
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 6, Clara's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 7, Clara's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 8, My Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 9, My Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 10, My Tale, Pt. 3
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 11, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 12, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 13, John's Tale, Pt. 1 
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 14, John's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 15, Come Inside!
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 16, Marion's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 17, Marion's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 18, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 19, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 20, Lisa's Tale
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 21, Recap, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 22, Recap, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 23, Recap, Pt. 3

The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 24, Bad News Betty

The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 25, Joe's Tale

My novel Chapel Street was inspired by the haunting. You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.

Learn more about the book, click Here.

Watch the book trailer:

  

Listen to me read some chapters here:

Chapel Street - Prologue - My Mother
Chapel Street - Chapter 1 - RestingPlace.com
Chapel Street - Chapter 2 - Elisabetta
Chapel Street - Chapter 3 - The Upload
Chapel Street - Chapter 4 - The Kobayashi Maru

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